Thursday, May 31st,  between 10:00 and 11:30am, Creative Visions will be hosting its monthly Job Club meeting. This months guest is Fred Buie, CEO of Keystone Electrical Manufacturing. Buie and Keystone manufacture a variety of products including electrical control panels, custom enclosure fabrication,  provide project maintenance services, as well as detailed construction and maintenance documentation.

Creative Visions is offering this networking opportunity for unemployed or underemployed individuals looking for work. Our meetings feature a guest speaker from a local business or institution who will cover hiring practices, industry trends and what they need from potential employees. This is a monthly opportunity to connect with other job seekers to gain support and information. In these times it is easy to be frustrated and lose motivation during your job search, but Creative Visions is here to provide the tools and information to make you successful. And please remember:

• Membership is open to anyone
• Meetings start at 10:00am
• Come dressed as if for an interview
• Bring current copies of your resume

See you Thursday!

Creative Visions would like to thank everyone for coming out to our spring cookout and open house last night. A special thanks to the Des Moines police department and the officers who took the time out to serve along with our volunteers and other community members. The purpose of last nights dinner was to show the people of Des Moines what a vital role Creative Visions plays in this community and to show what we stand to loose if we close our doors.

With the help of B & B’s deli we were able to feed over 200 people. Some were homeless, some were not. Some were young, some were old. But what we all had in common was the pleasure of sharing a good meal and getting to know our neighbors a bit better. This event was a great beginning to the summer season and we can’t wait to host another!

Creative Visions was recently honored by the Central Iowa Re-Entry Advisory Board for its efforts in helping individuals to successfully reintegrate with society after incarceration. Creative Visions not only provides re-entry services and support through its Offender and Family Reunification and Job Readiness Programs, but also leads by example in its commitment to hire former offenders.

LaVon Stennis Williams, Creative Visions’ former Chief Operations Officer, was also recognized at the ceremony for her success upon release from prison. Ms. Stennis- Williams was hired by Creative Visions in an entry level position after serving an 18 month prison sentence. Within 10 months, she  was promoted to Chief Operations Officer. 

Stennis- Williams credits the opportunity she received from Creative Visions and its CEO and Board with helping her break through the barriers that often impede an offender’s effort to get their life together upon release.  Today, Stennis- Williams, who still works part-time for the agency, has formed a consulting company called LSW Strategies. LSW Strategies provides training and consulting services to businesses, non- profits and individuals seeking to re-enter the workforce.  “I will be forever indebted to Ako and the board for looking past my criminal conviction and giving me a second chance,” said Stennis- Williams.

“We feel that it’s incumbent upon us, as a community agency, to provide true second chance opportunities through supportive services and employment opportunities.  Individuals, who have served their time, should not have to encounter the obstacles that many face when seeking employment.” said Creative Visions’ CEO Ako Abdul-Samad who has worked in the field of re-entry for over 40 years.  Michael Sadler, Creative Visions Board Chair stated similar comments “ We know that employment has the greatest impact on reducing recidivism and helping individuals to make a successful transition back to their families and communities upon release. Creative Visions is committed to providing every opportunity possible to help offenders succeed.”  Abdul- Samad also credits the work of CIRAB in helping to make it easier to provide re-entry services. Creative Visions works closely with CIRAB in developing best practices in re-entry.

Prior to forming Creative Visions, Abdul- Samad developed a program that provided pre-release services to inmates to prepare them to succeed upon release. He used this program as a model in developing Family Reunification which has expanded the services for offenders to include support for family members , because, like employment, family support is crucial to re-entry efforts.

In addition to the Family Reunification program, Creative Visions also provides help in obtaining employment. Services rage from helping offenders to develop employability skills to providing help with transportation and clothing for participants in the Job Readiness program.

In spite of a reduction in funding, Creative Visions is committed to continuing its re-entry services. If you have been incarcerated and need help in finding a job, please contact Kevin Clark, Creative Visions Employment Coordinator at ( 515) 244-4003 or if you are a community member who is interested in helping Creative Visions continue its programs and services, please send your tax- deductible donation to Creative Visions, 1343 13^th St. Des Moines, Iowa 50314 or click on the donate button to your left.

Creative Visions, along with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, joins efforts with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to promote the NHTSA latest website and PSA campaign for parents that promotes car safety.

According to the website, car crashes are the number one killer of children 1 to 12 years old in the United States. The best way to protect them in the car is to put them in the right seat, at the right time, and use it the right way.

To view NHTSA’s website Parent Central, which provides information parents need to know from car seats to car keys to keep their young passengers and drivers safe click here Safecar.gov/parents.  To learn how to install and use car seats correctly, click here Safecar.gov/The right seat 

Creative Visions also reminds you  Don’t Drive Distracted!

Pictured above, an out-side-the-box student  clears away old weeds and undergrowth as we prepare the space south of our building for a community garden.With help and funding from the Iowa Food Corps. this empty lot will be re-purposed and cultivated to provide all the materials needed  for a tasty salsa garden. The first batch of veggies, which will consist of tomato’s, green peppers, onions and cucumbers will be planted Friday, April 20th.

We are inviting the community to help in the process and claim a plot of their own to maintain during the growing season. If you have an interest in gardening, cleaning up the neighborhood, or are just looking for something to do Friday morning, please join us from 10am – 1pm at Creative Visions. Contact Kevin Clark at 515-244-4003 ext. 121 with any questions.

Sunday, April 22nd Creative Visions will host its first ever safe summer cookout.

In an effort to stop violent behavior before it begins, Creative Visions has invited the Des Moines Police Department, local religious leaders, and Concerned Citizens for Justice to have conversations with community members about what we can do to ensure that we all have a summer free of violence. Join us as we share tips on getting to know your neighbor, approaching neighborhood kids, preventing violence and improving our sense of community. See you then!

Last week we enjoyed an engaging conversation with Small Business Administrations Regional Director Ms. Pat Brown-Dixon. During the course of the night we heard from several small business owners, aspiring business owners, and community members. Cash prizes were also awarded to our business plan competition winners. Congratulations to DeVondre Williams, Inie Clements and Francis Boggus, our 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place winners.

In addition to prizes worth $350, contest winners were also given the opportunity to meet with representatives from the SBA and ISED’s small business development centers. Our goal with this program and contest is to foster interest in small business development and introduce community members to the people and resources that can help build a successful business.

Be sure to check in frequently to see video footage of our latest events and forums!

Thursday, March 22, Creative Visions will be hosting Small Business Administration Regional Director Ms. Pat Brown-Dixon. Between 6-8PM  Ms. Brown-Dixon and other guests will will explore the effects of entrepreneurship and small business development in low-income neighborhoods. This economic forum will also  serve as an award ceremony for our  business plan competition. Contestants were asked to submit a summary detailing their business’s function, operation, cash flow, start-up costs and other relevant information.

Congratulations to our three  finalist Ienie Clement, Francis Boggus, and DeVondre Williams! Thank you for participating good luck Thursday night.  We look forward to seeing the community come out and support our efforts and learn something about small business ownership.

A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicates that reckless and distracted driving is the number one killer of teens in the U.S. and that crashes that resulted from distracted driving led to 3,500 teen deaths in 2009.

The average text message takes five seconds to send—meaning that, if a person is driving at 55 miles per hour, he or she travels the length of the average football field without looking at the road, each time they send a text.

To view personal videos of the dangers of distracted driving and its impact on young lives  click here. If you would like for Creative Visions to conduct a workshop on distracted driving for your organization, please contact Kevin Clart at (515) 244-4003

In Celebration of Black History Month

Creative Visions and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau

recognize the accomplishments of

Garrett A. Morgan

                                     The inventor of the Traffic Light

                                    And reminds you…

Car crashes from red light runners are more likely than any other car crash to cause serious injuries or death. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, red-light running crashes alone cause nearly a thousand deaths each year, and as estimated 165,000 injuries. Often times, the people injured are pedestrians or not the signal violator.

Distracted Drivers are the largest group of red light violators!